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This week we talk about two novels that explore connections: between men and women, people and nature, the young and the old.

National Book Award finalist Bonnie Jo Campbell tells us about her wonderful new novel, The Waters and translator and novelist Jennifer Croft discusses her acclaimed new novel, The Extinction of Irina Rey.

Writers Voice— in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004. Find us on Facebook at Writers Voice with Francesca Rheannon, on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast or X/Twitter @WritersVoice.

Key Words: author interview, fiction, podcast, book podcast, author interview, Writer’s Voice, Francesca Rheannon, Bonnie Jo Campbell, Jennifer Croft, translation

A Contemporary Fable

Bonnie Jo Campbell is often called a writer of rural noir. But that really doesn’t do her justice. She describes herself as a writer of Americana — but even that seems too limited.

Take her latest novel, The Waters. Yes, it’s set in rural Michigan in the midst of what used to be — and still is in her novel — a vast and mysterious swamp. And yes, her characters play out a drama that is all too familiar to Americans in present times: the fight between those who use religion to dominate and control life and those who try to nurture and protect it.

But The Waters strikes universal themes: what do humans owe each other, their community and the natural world? What happens when we let division sever the deep bonds that connect us? How do we counter the poisonous ideas of false prophets? And finally, how can we repair the world?

The Waters is a beautifully told fable in the form of a contemporary novel, one that inspires as much as it entertains. Read an excerpt here.

About the Author

Bonnie Jo Campbell was a finalist for the 2009 National Book Award for her short-story collection American Salvage. She’s the author of three novels and a volume of poetry and teaches fiction in the MFA program at Pacific University in Oregon.

A Novel About Celebrity, Translation & The Fate of the World

Jennifer Croft’s novel The Extinction of Irina Rey is a genre-bender. It’s a satire on celebrity, a mystery novel, a thought-provoking interrogation of the art of translation and an exploration of the connections between us humans and the life around us. Plus, it’s really funny.

The Extinction of Irina Rey is about eight translators and their search for a world-renowned author who goes missing in a primeval Polish forest. Read an excerpt here.

About The Author

Jennifer Croft won the International Booker Prize for her translation of Olga Tokarczuk’s novel, Flights. She’s also the author of Homesick, which won the Saroyan Prize, and has written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and other publications.